No. 1:Report: ‘Melo opt-out deadline set; Heat might make push for Anthony— The Miami Heat are in the midst of The Finals against the San Antonio Spurs and find themselves in a 2-1 series hole. As such, don’t expect Miami’s players — namely its Big Three of LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade — to start speculating or discussing what moves they’ll make this summer when they can all become free agents. Their lack of comments, though, hasn’t stopped a report from surfacing that the Heat may make a serious push to land free agent Carmelo Anthony this summer and team him up with the Big Three (who would have to take serious pay cuts to make this all happen).

ESPN.com’s Brian Windhorst and Marc Stein have more on the notion of a “Big Four” in Miami. Of course, before there can be any Big Four, Anthony has to officially let the Knicks know he’s opting out of his deal. Marc Stein of ESPN.com has more on that move, too.

Carmelo Anthony has until June 23, essentially one week before the start of free agency, to notify the New York Knicks if he plans to opt in or out of the final year of his current contract, according to sources familiar with the terms of his deal.

Sources told ESPN.com that Knicks president Phil Jackson is continuing to urge Anthony to exercise next season’s $23.3 million player option and put off unrestricted free agency for one more year.

The Chicago Bulls, Houston Rockets and Dallas Mavericks are all teams Anthony would consider starting July 1, sources say, if the 30-year-old decides to become a free agent this summer.

Jackson’s pitch to Anthony — which sources say he has delivered more than once over the past month — is founded upon the notion that the Knicks will have increased financial flexibility in the summer of 2015 to bring in a marquee free agent to pair with a re-signed Anthony.

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ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith said on his ESPN New York radio show Tuesday and in subsequent interviews that Anthony and James, members of the NBA’s ballyhooed 2003 draft class and longtime USA Basketball teammates, have expressed the mutual desire to play together before their careers end and will look into teaming up if both wind up on the open market in July 2015.

James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh all have until the end of June, sources say, to notify the Heat whether they intend to opt into the final years of their respective current contracts or become free agents July 1.

The Miami Heat’s immediate focus remains overcoming a 2-1 NBA Finals deficit to the San Antonio Spurs, but discussions have begun within the organization about trying to grow their so-called Big Three into a Big Four, according to sources close to the situation.

Sources told ESPN.com that Heat officials and the team’s leading players have already started to explore their options for creating sufficient financial flexibility to make an ambitious run at adding New York Knicks scoring machine Carmelo Anthony this summer in free agency.

The mere concept would require the star trio of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh to all opt out of their current contracts by the end of the month and likely take further salary reductions in new deals that start next season to give Miami the ability to offer Anthony a representative first-year salary. The Heat also are prevented from making any formal contact with Anthony until July 1 and can do so then only if he opts out of the final year of his current contract. Anthony has until June 23 to notify the Knicks of his intentions, according to sources.

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Sources say internal conversations within the Heat organization about pursuing this course have run concurrently with Miami’s bid to win a third consecutive championship, with sources adding that James in particular is likely to try to recoup potential salary sacrificed through fresh off-court business opportunities if the Heat’s new dream scenario does come to fruition.

James’ off-court business is booming, thanks to a string of investments paying off massively and the prospect of new opportunities in endorsements and entertainment projects promising to expand his wealth significantly in coming years.

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The Heat are in essence trying to emulate some of the longstanding policies employed by their current Finals opponent, as the Spurs have been able to keep Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili together for more than a decade — while routinely strengthening the supporting cast around them — because their three best players have been repeatedly willing to take pay cuts.

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ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith said on his ESPN New York radio show Tuesday and in subsequent interviews that Anthony and James have expressed the mutual desire to play together before their careers end and will look into teaming up if both wind up on the open market in July 2015.

No. 2:Love hoping ‘everything works out’ — No topic is more on the minds of Minnesota Timberwolves fans right now that that of the future of All-Star big man Kevin Love. The lay of the land hasn’t looked good for that sect and as our Steve Aschburnerpointed out a few days ago, the hiring/return of Flip Saunders as Timberwolves coach likely won’t do much to spur Love to not try and force a trade. Love’s teammate, Ricky Rubio, recently told our Scott Howard-Cooperhe intends to make a pitch for Love to stay in Minnesota. But what does Love think about all this free-agent chatter? He opened up a little bit on ESPN’s “SportsNation” show yesterday:

Minnesota Timberwolves forward Kevin Love said Wednesday that it “burns me and hurts my heart” that he hasn’t made the playoffs in six seasons in the NBA.

But Love stopped short of confirming that he’s determined to opt out of his contract and become an unrestricted free agent in 2015.

“My agent is handling everything at this point … I’m hoping that everything works out for all parties involved,” Love said during an appearance on ESPN’s “SportsNation.”

Love’s comments were the first since sources reiterated to ESPN.com last week that team president Flip Saunders’ move back to the bench next season will have no impact on Love’s decision.

“No matter what the outcome is, I just want to end up in a great place where I can win,” Love said on “SportsNation.” “At the end of the day, I’ve played six years, haven’t made the playoffs yet, that burns me and hurts my heart, so I really want to be playing.”

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One place Love is rumored to be interested is the New York Knicks.

“I think any time you have Phil Jackson involved in any organization, you’re going to definitely look at it and it’s definitely intriguing,” Love said. “The Knicks are definitely a place where anybody would like to go.”

On Wednesday, Love spoke with our own Aja Dang at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3 2014) in Los Angeles, where he was at Activation checking out the new “Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare.” And while there, he addressed his coach’s remarks.

“What some people don’t know is that Flip and I have a great relationship, and we’ve been constantly speaking about my situation,” Love said. “Flip is going to be a tremendous coach again for the Timberwolves; he did a great job last year with our team, even throughout all the injuries and different things that we had. But that’s the way of Flip of getting people motivated, whether it’s me or people you don’t even know about. Am I happy he said those things? I think he’s supposed to come out and say that because it’s a team game, not about one singular player.”

He was then asked whether he was actually frustrated with the Timberwolves.

“I’m not frustrated,” he said. “I just think it’s all in my people that represent me, it’s in their hands, and I just want to go to a spot — wherever that is, one of 30 teams — where I can win. In six years I haven’t been in the playoffs, and I think it’s time for people to be watching me.”

So where would he want to play if he left the Timberwolves?

“I don’t really have a wish list, I just want to win, wherever that may be,” Love said. “One of the 30 teams; (I) want to play for a great coach, great teammates … it’s not about just one player. It’s not about myself, it’s about a whole team.”

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No. 3:Rondo impressing Celtics’ coaches — Boston Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo was hardly himself last season in several ways: he played in just 30 games (after recovering from offseason ACL surgery), shot a career-low 40.3 percent and seemed to have little impact on the games he did play (Boston went 6-24 with him). Rondo has been a regular at the team’s practice facility during the offseason and the pep in his step and his improved play has been noticed by coach Brad Stevens and others. Boston.com has more:

Rajon Rondo was not himself last season after spending the majority of the year recovering from a torn right ACL. Just two months into this offseason, head coach Brad Stevens can already tell that the point guard is eager to put the injury-plagued season in his rearview mirror.“He only played 30 or so games this year,” Stevens said at a Celtics draft workout Wednesday afternoon. “I don’t he ever felt like he was good as he could be game-to-game and that was in large part due to coming back (from the injury).”

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At long last though, Rondo looks healthy and has been a regular visitor to the team’s practice facility and draft workouts all summer. His constant presence has been welcome sight for Stevens and the rest of the team’s coaching staff.

“He’s been great,” Stevens said. ““Physically, he looks fantastic. That really sets a tone having him come in. That really is helpful.”

Stevens continued: “I think Rajon is anxious to get back out there playing. You can tell that from his work ethic. He’s been with our small groups a lot in the last 8-10 days. That’s not always the case with a guy as seasoned and accomplished as him.”

Rondo’s improved health should also help him from a leadership and learning standpoint with the team. The point guard was unable to take part in the team’s workout regime last offseason and that may have affected his play on the floor as well.

“We were talking about some of the things that you do in a typical defensive technique workout,” Stevens explained. “He missed most of that because he was hurt when you go through most of that stuff. So then you’re scrambling when you’re coming back. Certainly, he’s been really well-coached in the past. But there may be things from a vernacular standpoint that are a little bit different. There may be a tweak here or a change there that fits in the system differently.”

No. 4:ESPN pays tribute to coaching legend — After yesterday’s NBA Finals media availability with the San Antonio Spurs and Miami Heat, the podium and press room stayed open for a special reason. ESPN used the facility as part of a special memorial tribute to Hall of Fame coach and broadcaster Dr. Jack Ramsay, who passed away in April after a lengthy battle with cancer. Both Hall of Fame coach Hubie Brown and Ramsay’s son, Chris, spoke eloquently about the man who was a true legend of the game:

Hubie Brown still cherishes Dr. Jack Ramsay’s memory to the point of choking up when he talks about him.

There aren’t many highlights in Brown’s decorated career as an NBA coach, ambassador and broadcaster that rival the April day in 2005 when he received a call from the Basketball Hall of Fame informing him of his induction.

But the occasion meant just as much to Brown because of the man with whom it was shared.

The official from the Hall of Fame had a routine request for all new inductees.

“By the way, we’re going to send to you a list of the Hall of Fame people that are still alive, and that you would prefer to have one walk you up [for presentation],” Brown said Wednesday as he recalled what he was told by the representative from the Hall. “I said, ‘You don’t have to send that list. If Jack Ramsay is available, he’s the only one I want to walk [me] up.”

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As part of the tribute Ramsay’s son, ESPN executive Chris Ramsay, was presented a bronze radio microphone for his father’s years of service as a radio broadcaster after he retired from coaching. Engraved in the microphone was the message: ESPN remembers Dr. Jack Ramsay — Friend, Mentor and Analyst.

“My dad loved the NBA,” Chris Ramsay said during Wednesday’s tribute. “He loved coaching the games. He loved broadcasting the games. He loved analyzing the games with the coaches and the players. He loved his role as a worldwide ambassador for basketball. If he were here today, he would say, ‘Why are we making such a fuss about Jack Ramsay? The NBA Finals are going on. Let’s talk about the teams and the games.’ Well, we make a fuss because we miss him and we wish he was here.”

114 Comments

Look at all the past NBA champions and you will see that all those teams had multiple all-stars. So, what if Melo or any other all star wants to go to Miami let them go. Having a team full of stars doesn’t mean that you are guaranteed a championship. It is all about team chemistry and a commitment to playing as a unit not worrying about individual stats. When the game is on the line, it has been a role player that steps up and makes a big play to win the game (Robert Horry, Steve Kerr, Mike Miller, Ray Allen just to name a few).

The heat doenst need Melo, they need a solid bench!! And to get rid of : James Jones, Toney Douglas, Greg Oden, Michael Beasley and Rashard Lewis, and sign some other great role players… Like, Kyle Korver, Josh McRoberts, Sefolosha, Gortat!!!!

If Melo joins the Heat, that would make all these so called “champions” the biggest pussies ever to play the game. I guess the “I was trying to beat those guys” days are long gone. That’s also why there ain’t gonna be another MJ

Y’all are all wrong about everything. And it doesn’t even matter anyway. Big 3 will now be 2-2 in the finals, not nearly as dominant as they’re made out to be. They’d be just an average playoff team in the western conference, and adding one ballhog with no finals experience (who can’t defend) ain’t gonna fix any of their problems

How about a Bosh/Boozer swap? The Heat need to add some muscle and Boozer can finish inside, and the bulls could use a stretch 4, open things up a little for a D-Rose, Noah 1-2 combo. The thing is people underestimate Bosh because he does the things you don’t see in the box score, you have to guard him outside the lane, he spaces things out, and can still beat most other bigs with his first step, I think the problem he has is people hold him to the standard of guys named Lebron James and Dwayne Wade.

HERE WE GO AGAIN………ITS NOT………ENOUGH………THAT THEY ALREADY ……….HAVE …..FREAKING…WADE..BOSH…….AND THE BEST PLAYER…..IN THE LEAGUE…….LEBRON JAMES……..NOW THEY ARE GETTING……..CARMELO ANTHONY TOO………..LMAO………LEBRON JAMES……..IS …………RUINING THE ……..NBA……..THE ……..NEW TERMS…..FOR…..TEAMS…….IS ………NO …….LONGER….BIG 3………..ITS…..TEAM…….USA………SINCE ALL OF THEIR ………PLAYERS………WERE…..ACTUALLY ON……..TEAM….USA……MIGHT AS WELL CALL THEM JUST THAT………………TEAM USA…..VS……NBA…….THEY HAVE JUST………….OFICIALLY ………….RUINED ……..THE ………NBA……..THERE IS………..I REPEAT……IS ……..NO…..POINT……..IN ……WATCHING……..IF WE ALREADY………KNOW WHO IS……GOING TO WIN………MICHAEL JORDAN……..KOBE BRYANT……….SHAQUILLE ONEAL…….OLAJUAN…….BILL RUSSELL……MAGIC JOHNSON….LARRY BIRD…….ALL…..SHOULD ………..CLOWN THE HEAT……..FOR…..BEING……A ….FRAUDULENT……..ALLSTAR CONSTRUCTED…..TEAM……..WHAT THE HELL HAS THE LEAGUE COME TO……..WHEN …….YOU HAVE……..TO HAVE……EVERY……..GREAT……PLAYER IN ……..THE …ENTIRE………LEAGUE………JUST TO WIN……………..SORRY……YOU…….GET….NO CREDIT……….WHY SHOULD FANS…..EVEN WATCH THIS…….NONSENSE………ANYMORE……IT LACKS…..COMPETITION………AND …….NO COMPETITION………..EQUALS………….LOW…..MONEY…..OVERALL……..FANS WILL……TAKE A STAND…….ONE WAY OR ANOTHER……..CAUSE…FANS…..ARE THE ONES……PAYING THESE……COWARDLY……..PLAYERS……SALARY……..THEY ARE RUINING THE COMPETITION….IN THE NBA…..THROUGH THE GROUND…………..THE NBA IS ……….DEAD!

I really agree with nick jones melo joining bulls would make since,they need another scorer bad and a go to guy like melo would open their offense up great,also id rose goes down again their still a good team because they have melo.bulls already play good defense so melo don,t have to play D just score.

Y’all forget some player melo might be metch with…it is Kobe he’s not legendary king or what else but he is just the best of best like MJ…if melo & Lebron move to Lakers next season wow they will make happen…so be I’ll be patient and wait foh next season..Piriod

They would be best to add Melo and drop either Wade or Bosh. Bosh in his career has become a willing 3 pt shooting pylon on offense, and Wade’s knees are likely a couple dozen games away from self destruction. There’s no reason to need either of those two with an offense of Melo and Lebron. Round the roster out with complementary defenders and shooters and the Heat can compete for another few years for finals appearances.

Bosh doesn’t deserve to win another LeBron title on his resume and Wade is headed towards his closing act as a player.

If Melo went to the Heat, I still wouldn’t have them as the favorite. He has too big of an ego, and although he’s a great scorer, he doesn’t know how to play defense (or doesn’t try), and I don’t think he would be willing to take a backseat to anyone. The Heat shouldn’t have won last year, and they are getting absolutely thrashed by the Spurs this year. If the Heat want to become an unbeatable team, like others have said, they need a decent point guard and center. I wouldn’t put it past Lebron and company to take pay cuts, but I still think Melo wouldn’t help them win a championship. I believe the Spurs, Thunder, and Clippers are all superior teams to the Heat right now. And finally, like other people have mentioned, the Eastern conference needs to become stronger so if Melo makes a move I hope it’s to another team in the East like the Bulls. It really is sickening for teams to be loading up the way they are now just so good players can win championships and leave a legacy. If Melo goes to the Heat, even if they don’t improve, I think there will be a lot of frustrated fans and overall it will hurt the NBA.

While clearly LBJ doesn’t have a final say in it, were this Melo move to happen, surely he will be consulted. And yes, Melo coming to the Heat would diminish James’ legacy.
Tactically, it doen’t make much sense either, the Spurs are killing the Heat because they play better as a team, with a good balance offense in all positions. The Heat getting Anthony will also mean there will be no room to strenghten their real weaknesses at the point and center positions.
And succes isn’t guaranteed either, remember the Rockets when Barkley went there? Initially people thought they’d never loose a game. Granted, they were only stopped because the greatest player to ever play this game just wouldn’t be denied, but still.
I’d love the see Melo go to the Bulls so the East will have a few good teams and get stronger as a conference.

Everyone calm down…since when can the Heat even afford Melo? They will need Lebron,Wade,and Bosh to all take even bigger pay cuts than they already are doing. Im talking about maybe 10 million a year maybe 11 million a year and I doubt at this point any of those guys would do that. If this is Miami’s intentions to really get Melo on this team,then you can say goodbye to Bosh and possibly Lebron as he will not take a pay cut that big to add a superstar at his own position,friend or not. That would be like the Thunder signing/trading for Lebron or Melo and Durant,Westbrook,and Ibaka to take pay cuts that big because they are “Friends”. I honestly don’t see this happening and the small forward position is the least of Miami’s worries at the moment. They need a better point guard and a half decent center and then they can talk about bringing in a star that plays the same position as Lebron. And even if the Heat get Melo,who says the Spurs cant beat them anyway? Its Team>SuperStar Power and the 2010-2011 finals proved that when the Mavericks played like a TEAM and beat the Heat with their superstars.

I really hope Melo will deny Heat offer. And I really hope LBJ, Wade and Bosh will leave Heat. I do not hate Heat or Miami or anything like that. It’s just these Heat “fans” don’t deserve to watch them in their arena. Heat are playing Finals, they’re losing and they all leave arene 2 games in the row… They just don’t deserve this franchise.

If Melo joins the Heat, that would make all these so called “champions” the biggest pussies ever to play the game. I guess the “I was trying to beat those guys” days are long gone. That’s also why there ain’t gonna be another MJ

Not to imply that the former three players match up to the level of the latter three, but stars didn’t go find other stars like today. The rivalries were real. Today it’s like they’re all AAU buddies. That’s what I appreciated about the Celtics. They hated their opponent.

The Heat don’t need Melo. What they need is a real coach to properly run this team. Heat got the 5th best record only,when James was soo overused avg 40mins a game throughout the regular season. They play such disgusting basketball and never has a sense of urgency or discipline coming into games. They could be so much better with a somewhat decent coach. Spo is amateur. I don’t see how people don’t see it. Real coach maximizes their players potential. Spo has developed NO ONE EVER besides the greats that do it on their own. Look at chalmers, look at beasley, why isn’t Beasley getting any minutes? 9 man rotation is too much for Spo to handle.. If you listen to the way he responds to interviews, he uses the same generic lines everytime.

Melo would be a chump if he went to Miami. That’s not even fair, that’s straight up cheating.. that’s a freaking all star team if the Heat landed Melo. Disgusting if it happens. I am a Knicks fan, and I’m fully prepared to have Melo leave. I’m actually ok with it. He deserves better. But going to the Heat? That’s disgraceful, they are already stacked!

Since when did everyone in the world cared where does a person choose to work? LBJ wants to play for Miami, that’s his decision. if Melo does, it’s his decision as well. So many hypocrite people around.. so judgmental as if they’ve been living like they make no mistakes at all. The decision anyway was not a mistake. LBJ doesn’t want to be like other nba players whose really good, but ended up with no rings.

You are missing the point. First off without the fans there is no NBA. So yea people do care where they work. Do u really want to see the same team win every year? Probably a LBJ jock rider. If there is a super team formed I hope its without the heat. Why not send everyone good to one ta just to beat the heat? But then again move the heat to the western conference I bet they wouldnt be in their 4th straight finals

mikmaks is a bandwagon Heat fan. That’s why he is defending Lebron and Carmello. The Decision was stupid. It was completely uncecessary for Lebron to go on tv just to say where he was going. And I don’t really think Carmello will help the Heat. His defense isn’t that good and he will want the ball more than anyone. The Heat don’t need another scorer, they need a real center.

I agree. Why settle for boring location and a losing team. If a man seeks rings and a pleasant location/place to work, let him. I think it’s smart and influences other people to live a happy life if you like! Not a boring one

I dont why people complain so much, when D. Wade is not even as good as he used to be back when he played with shaq, and bosh is a really good player but hes not an all time great player, like some people try to suggest. Michael, and Scottie were way better than L.B.J and D. Wade as teammates, now if it was D. Wade from five years ago, then i would say that it is unfair for them to play together.

Chris Bosh has Toronto’s all-time records for blocks, rebounds, points, minutes, and free throws. He just never had a solid team around him, and his value is as high now as it will ever be. Ever notice how much harder it is for Miami to win when he isn’t playing well? He has to consistently be steady to offset other things. Very underappreciated.

The Heat playing him at center doesn’t help his case either. He sacraficed more then anyone to join them. The Heat have nobody else to play center though since they seem to refuse to sign one. Oden doesn’t count because everyone knew it was a huge gamble.

I dont know what games some of these people watched, cause it didnt come easy for the heat to win last year, they needed a little luck to beat San Antonio. And furthermore if it wasnt for the heat, no team in the east would have a chance of beating the Spurs with all those good players that they have on that roster, including there bench, which is one of the best in the whole league. I guess people dont want any competition for the Spurs, they should just give them the trophy and the hell with it. and im not a heat fan, i was actually rooting for the Spurs last year, but not this year.

The difference between the Spurs and the Heat, is that the Spurs built from within. They drafted and developed their roster. The Heat is made up almost entirely of free agents, and really LeBron, Wade, and Bosh MAKE that team.

Its not that nobody wants competition for the Spurs, they just dont want to watch the NBA All-Stars on the same team. Just doesnt make for good TV. The Spurs built from within and worked for everything they have. The Heat just paid two big free agents and now want to go after another? That doesnt even include Ray Allen, who was signed while regressing.

Stop getting you panties in a bunch people. You all know Melo is not going to Miami. The Heat however are making room for someone; possibly a point guard like George Hill. They need to get rid of Chalmers. He hasn’t had one great game for the entire playoffs and was pretty bad during the regular season.

Sing, what ever tune you want. Camelo will never play the sixed role, one any team, or should he. C. is with the most solid basketball foundation going. Jackson, Fischer, and the Nicks. There is no comparsion between Ducan, Parker, and Manu, “THEY PLAY AS ONE, where LeBron, Wade and Bosh ” plays as one. Tonights’ game? BAM! SPURS.

Does anyone realize that this is a story made up by the media? and not Lebron? just like how kyrie had to tweet and say that there is no such thing as “Kyries Camp” when they said a source from Kyries camp said he wanted out…geeeez

Did you know that like to pursue?? . Hah? . Miami will not declaring carmelo are 100% like to get by the heat . Because they are trying to get carmelo . Trying to get , not like to get . Okay?? . And i don’tlike to the heat this man named carmelo . Because the lineup of the heat . Is okay right now

If they pick up ‘Melo, then they should also pick up Darko, to round out the first 5 picks of the draft. Sampling from most of the comments here, I think the NBA is very watered down. A hard, much lower cap is needed. Everyone wants more than the guy before him, it’s ridiculous. MLB and the NFL are not much better. Rookie contracts for NFL are still ridiculous despite the current controls. I understand that players opt to sign with other teams to improve their shot at a title. The way Lebron did it was really bad. MJ palmed the ball more than any player I have ever watched! I am displeased with how the league pampers certain players.

Man, you guys really gotta get over The Decision. LeBron is not the first MVP-caliber player to switch to a better organization during his prime. Not even counting guys who chased rings later in their careers (Karl Malone, Garnett, Nash, Iverson) you’ve still got Shaq, Barkley, Moses Malone, Kareem, Dwight Howard and Chris Paul – all guys who left their team at the height of their careers. LeBron is not the only guy who’s ever done it.

And really with all of the bad decisions Cleveland has made since he left it’s pretty obvious he made the right decision to leave. Dude put in 7 years there, He just knew what it took us a few extra years to figure out – that organization does not know what they’re doing.

Fortunately, it’s not so simple – to buy the best players from every position and automatically get the rings. It sems like galacticos, remember? “Real were expected to continue their level of dominance in the domestic and European game after 2002-03, with the signing of Beckham expected to strengthen the team. However, following seasons would see limited success on the pitch, with Real failing to win any trophy for next three seasons after their 2003 league title.” In this situation Beckham=Carmelo?

What happened to NBA. I have little respect for the heat as it is. IF your a heat fan you shouldn’t want this move to happen. The NBA needs to enforce a hard cap. The NBA is watered down as it is now. This horrible for the NBA. if this happens just get rid of all the teams that arent the pacers, heat, spurs, clippers and thunder and let them play each other all year long. If this happens Lebron can never be put in the same category as MJ. As much as i hate lebron, I can admit he is the closest to MJ we have in this generation, but if this free agency moves happens, lebron will always be remembered by leaving the cavs and buying rings.

NBA needs to remodel free agency after restricted free agency. A Player has to go to the team with the highest bid. if the offer of another team is within 10%, he can choose freely between these teams. The 10% increase by 2% for every year the player is on the team, so if a player is on the team for 10 years

Wtf happened to the league? Players can’t lead their teams to championship glory, so they wanna form the Avengers? To go along with the flopping, this era of basketball is garbage! The Heat can 20 straight championships n I still won’t consider them a dynasty. #noRespect for the league!

Trading & buying players must also have some restrictions for NBA to be fair. NBA would become a market for rich clubs. They have the means to buy but others don’t. So, the playing field becomes rugged, not plain. These ball clubs must go deep into organizing, motivating, strategizing and the likes, to make them click. Heat is turning itself into a crocodile, too greedy for championships.

Maaaan he should not go to Heat. The best fit for Carmelo is the Hornets. Great big man in Al, great point guard in Kemba and it will give them the scorer they need. It will also make the Eastern Conference much more competitive. The West is way to stacked to join and have deep playoff runs straight away.

LeBron is a coward. Always looking for easy ways out. It’s not enough that you have Wade, Bosh, best shooter ever in Ray Allen, now he’s going after another top 5 player in the league. How can anybody honestly respect his championships?

There’s only one basketball, and the Heat already have enough proven scorers (including Ray Allen), so the addition of Carmelo Anthony could not possibly help them. In fact, he would likely end up being a defensive liability. What they really need is for their presumptive big man (Oden or Birdman) to play stellar defense, move without the ball, and hit the boards.

This is exaxtly what I’ve been saying. Carmello won’t help on defense and they don’t need another scorer. I don’t understand why they don’t get a real center so Bosh can play his real position. It’s fine with me though.

I would think the commissioner would have to block such a deal. Wasn’t that what happened when the Lakers tried to get Chris Paul? If one team is able to stack their roster, hopefully other teams will follow that path. The west also has some pretty elite players. I suppose one the western conference teams such as the Lakers should consider stacking their roster as well. Maybe Kevin Durant, Chris Paul, Kevin Love and Russell Westbrook(for good measure) should consider joining forces.

I would simply stop watching the NBA. That would be a farce. It would be like watching early dream team games. Really how interesting is to see the USA beat England by 50? It would get old really quick. BTW anybody want to come watch my MMA bout with a 5th grader down the street. It should be just as compelling.

Not sure why the attention is on Lebron even if someone else is trying to come to the heat. I understand that the first time it was his decision and it made him look bad since he took the easy out, but why are you complaining about Lebron when Melo is the one who has the choice. If anything take your shots at Melo not at Lebron he has no control over what Melo decides to do. Lebron might pitch him something but who wouldn’t look at the bulls, the knicks, the mavericks everyone wants to create a superstar team, and lets not forget there are more than one superstar on those teams as well.The Knicks currently have more than one superstar, Chandler, Amare, Melo, J.R Smith, Shumpret and the list goes on but no one cares because they couldn’t get those players to work together. If your are afraid that the Lebron can make the superstars work under him, thats not his fault its the players on your roaster who don’t have the capability to play together and work together as a team.

This would be amazing to have melo join Bosh, Wade, Lebron, Ray allen. it will be a strong team on paper,
but these guys still have to train and work hard together to get a champion, doesn’t come with all star status.

Nba is becoming a complete joke really the big 4, kyrie Irving $90 million, players complaining bout playing in 90 degrees especially when you grew up playing outside maybe the players need to learn to love the game again and be quiet these idiots shouldnt be making anything close to what they do and in the 80s-90s 3/4 of the players in the nba now wouldn’t be in the league then

In my oppinion Miami’s need is on a 3point shooter and a very solid big guy. Melo with the big three will be ridiculous to see but I don’t believe it to happen. I would like to see the heat with Kevin Love and Paul Gasol who is struggling with the lakers.

Love plus Melo in NY will be nice….and let Rondo joins them… that will be perfect for Derek new home. Melo in Miami will take time to jell the way I see as there will be “superstar competition” within the team. If Spurs can maintain the presence of Timmy, Manu, Tony and Kawhi, they will still be a contender of the title.

The only way this works is if all 3 opt out, then Miami only resigns Lebron, wade and melo, punking bosh and leaving him out in the cold. Why? Because bosh has transformed himself into a very poor man’s version of melo, since lbj and wade are heads and shoulders better than him. He’s now a soft outside semi threat, who offers the same to Miami as Allen or Lewis, but with a far bigger salary. The heat really need an inside presence, whether on offence or defence. Unless an opposing team is unnerved by his freakish neck, he is of no value to Miami’s interior defence or offence

If I were in charge of the Spurs, THISSSS is the moment I’d get in touch with parker/duncan/manu and see if they are retiring. If they are, imagine the cap space the Spurs will have to bring in other talents. Love = Duncan, Melo = Manu, Lowry = Parker or trade away Joseph if Parker is still playing. I know people won’t like Melo cuz of his defense, but IF he is under the RIGHT COACH, he can def improve in that category. Idk which other players are going to be on the market this summer

If this happens, I’ll never respect LeBron (not that he cares) again. I don’t care if he wins 22 championships.

He already took the easy path in making the decision. Instead of building a contender in his hometown of Cleveland, he conspired to join forces with his team of Super Friends. They found out pretty quickly it wasn’t as easy as they thought to win (not 1, not 2, not 3, not 4), then they beat a Westbrook-less Thunder in the Finals for an asterisk title. Last year, they should have lost again if not for the help of the refs and the luck of the bounce.

So instead of working harder, practicing more, and becoming a better player, LeBron thinks the solution is to attract another hired gun so that another championship will come even easier.

I guess maybe that’s his mentality. After all, he will be 2-3 in the Finals after this year. That’s not so great.

I already said this when Chris Bosh and Wade came together to draw Lebron in. If you’re great, you shouldn’t need that many fire power. And why did David Stern block Christ Paul trade and something like Anthony joining the Heat big 3 losers will be okay?

You clearly don’t watch enough basketball to have real input on the situation.

First of all they are not the first to team up(with “super” friends) nor will they be the last.
(ex: Rockets in the 1999 with Barkley, Pippen and Olajuwan, Lakers in 2004 when Malone and payton joined shaq and kobe)

Second, that Thunder team had Durant, Westbrook, Ibaka and Harden…ALL healthy.

Harden choked out of his mind, ibaka wasnt quite the player he is today meaning he still played like a rookie bcuz ibaka didnt really develop until last year. And kd and russ showed up but teams win championships not 2 strong players especially when russ still hasnt learned to play like a true pg and takes more shots than durant. But bottom lline2012 finals it was kd and russ v lebron, wade, battier, bosh, chalmers, cole, anderson, allen and the refs

Can we put the “LeBron took the easy way out” stuff to bed already? The guy stuck it out for 7 years on one of the worst franchises in the league (and got them to their only finals in the process.) Look at some of the awful decisions the Cleveland organization has made since he left and it’s obvious he made the right choice going to Miami. That team was not going to win a championship, and it had nothing to do with LeBron.

Yeah I know, I know….Jordan/Bird/Magic/Kobe/Duncan/etc would never have done that, but those guys were also drafted by teams with competent owners, GM’s and coaches. It’s not like LeBron is the first ever MVP-caliber player to switch teams so they could be part of a better organization (Shaq, Moses Malone, Barkley, Kareem, etc.)

Cleveland didn’t surround Lebron with any legitimate talent during his time there. They had 7 years to build a team around him and the best player he ever played with was Mo Williams, oh and 38 yr old Shaq.

anthony will be perfect to miami’s roster,in a way that last summer olympic,they coaches noticed that melo is much better w/out the ball,so he will be perfect in miami,having LBJ with the wall going to destruct the interior D,melo will be a catch and shoot role that he really loves,like what they allways did with there TEAM USA…

Where’s the challenge? The Heat are already back to back champions. They have a good shot of winning it again this year. And I see the Heat in the finals for the rest of the decade if they manage to keep Bosh, Wade, and James together. They add Melo and Lowry or Love and they have an unbeatable team. Listen, I’m okay with getting advantages over other teams, but an All Star starting lineup is too much. I wouldn’t want it if it was my team. You can only watch blowout games and sweeps for so long before it gets monotonous. Part of the fun of winning is the challenge. Without the challenge winning is meaningless. It’s like winning against a fifth grader.

Is Melo going to want to share the ball with Lebron, Wade, and Bosh? I mean, he’ll be a second option at best. And what about Bosh? Is he really prepared to be a fourth option and get even fewer touches than he does already?

Kevin Love (Power Forward), Roy Hibbert (centre), Anthony Davis (Forward), Kyrie Irvine (point guard) this would be a big four for any team, but its a combination that would work. Everyone talks about Anthony, James, etc, but chemistry is the big thing and this is where people should look at the success of the Spurs. If these four joined the Spurs with Khwai Leonard in the starting 5 upon the retirement of Duncan, Ginobli and Parker (once they win the championship against the Heat) then the Spurs would have another dynasty. Importantly the mix of Love, Hibbert, Davis and Irvine would be dynamic.

IMO it’s pretty ridiculous. I mean, from an engineering point of view it seems like an snowballing effect. A team is good, everybody takes paycuts to hire more good guys, so the team gets even better, and the cycle continues in snowballing fashion. A team gets increasingly good not because their players are working harder, their staff is working harder or anything like that. It simple gets stronger because it is strong. It’s pretty much the definition of an unstable system.

I’ve always thought LeBron would be special one day, until he did the unthinkable by joining another alpha male in D Wade. I don’t get this, they joined forces in their prime when they should be competing against each other. If Barkley joined Jordan in Chicago back in the day, what fun would that be to watch? Where is the glory beating someone you can beat in your sleep. LeBron, leave Miami and turn in those championship rings. Those are not earned. It’s garbage watching you and D Wade toy with the rest of the NBA. Lead the team that drafted you. Their is no greatness in cheating. Please restore the fun and joy of watching you guys compete. Pat Riley will never be great in my book no matter how polished he seems to be. Worthy, Kareem and Magic, c’mon now. A big 3 of Bird, McHale and Robert Parish I can understand but Bosh, D Wade and LBJ, I can’t even watch you guys play anymore. Bring back Ewing and the Knicks. Bring back Miller and the Pacers. Bring back Barkley and the Suns, Malone, Stockton, Payton, Kemp and all those who never won a ring but competed and embedded the memory of their game in the hearts of the true NBA fans who loves watching a competative matchup between this sports very best.

Payton and Malone did go to the Lakers at the end to try and win a ring. We all know how that wokled out in the end. But I agree with how much better the NBA was when there was the one big star on each team.

Miami would do better with letting Bosh go and landing a real interior presence like Gasol. Bosh has the height, but he isn’t much of a threat in the paint. They dont’ need another foreward, they need a presence that can create lanes for James.

melo wade bron and bosh? jeez that would be insane…that would surely seal miami for a few more years as the favorites to win it all..they better get this title tho to lock melo in, then again even if they lose we can all safely say that miami will be in the finals for the next 2-3 season easy.